GE Signs Service Agreement with Sasol

Posted on November 20, 2008

GE Energy announced that it has signed a 15-year service agreement with South African oil and gas company Sasol. Under the agreement, GE Energy will provide around-the-clock monitoring and diagnostics of Sasol’s new power plant in Secunda which could help ease South Africa’s energy crisis. The new 280 MW power plant, which will feature the first installation in South Africa of GE Energy’s Frame 9E gas turbines, will be located at the site of Sasol’s synthetic fuels facility in Secunda. The new plant will provide power for the production of synfuels, with excess electricity sold to Eskom, the state-owned utility.

The multi-million dollar contractual service agreement signed by GE Energy and Sasol covers all maintenance activities for the two GE Frame 9E gas turbines at the site over the 15-year period. The agreement also includes 24-hour-a-day monitoring and diagnostics of the gas turbines’ performance. Initially, natural gas will be the fuel for the gas turbines, but future plans call for the use of low-BTU gas/flare gas, for a further reduction in emissions.